Bridal badge "omakipa" · Namibia, Ovambo · ID: 3038279
sold
EUR 200
Provenance
German Private Collection (acquired in 1979)Size
M: 7 cm x 6 cm
M: 2.8 inch x 2.4 inch
Description
ivory, of oval form, incised pattern around the rim, two drillings backside, min. dam., fine cracks, back;
the number of “omakipa” badges a young man gave his fiancée depended on his wealth and the number of cows he owned. Even the incised patterns had a special meaning. These “marriage insignia” were fixed to a leather strip the bride wore around her hips.
Comparing literature
Ginzberg, Marc, Afrikanische Formen, Mailand 2001, p. 257